


Losing You No More

by wolfzaa



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anchors (mentioned), Angst with a Happy Ending, First Kiss, I'll put it here just in case, Implied Non-con Bonding Elements, M/M, Mates, Mating Bites, Mild Angst, Mutual Pining, Oblivious, Post-Season/Series 04, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, i guess, is that a thing?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-09 01:20:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12266013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfzaa/pseuds/wolfzaa
Summary: “That’s it.  What’s wrong with you?”Stiles confronted him as soon as they reached Isaac's room.  The blond glared at him before he growled out an annoyed, “What?”“You and Scott.  What happened between you two?”“Nothing.”“Yeah, as if I’m gonna believe that.  If I didn’t know better, I’d think you hate Scott by now.”Isaac’s body immediately went rigid.  His blank expression fell as his wide blue eyes met Stiles’s.





	Losing You No More

**Author's Note:**

> Canon divergence right after Season 4 where Derek and Isaac is back in town, so Season 5 isn't gonna happen here, sorry.

 

Emotion wasn’t exactly Stiles’s field of expertise.  He felt a lot of things, true, but he absolutely had no idea what he should call this feeling he was having right about now.  It wasn’t every day Derek Hale appeared at your school parking lot, right beside your jeep, and demanded a talk; not when said person was supposed to be somewhere miles away in Mexico.

“You come back,” Stiles said.  He was stating the obvious, he was well aware of that, yet still couldn’t help it. “What about Braeden?”

“She’s doing fine,” Derek answered, as though he had never left _,_ for goodness’ sake. “I was only there to help her with something, and now I’m out.  It’s not like I’ve planned to be away for long.  I have things to take care of back in Beacon Hills.  Where’s Scott?”

Stiles considered having a staring contest with him but thought better of it.

“You’ve just miss him.  He just took off to the clinic.” Stiles frowned and went back to the earlier topic, asking, “So you guys broke up?  Just like that?”

“We were together out of convenience to begin with.  I don’t see why that’d be a problem.” Derek quirked his brow before he added, “Plus, I’d better be here than in the middle of nowhere.  I have more important thing to deal with right now.”

Stiles’s shoulders tensed up instinctively. “What kind of thing?”

Derek nodded at his Camaro in the back.

“Scott’s thing.”

Stiles blinked at the older man before he strode to the car, squinting his eyes in attempt to look through the black-filmed windows.

He gasped.

_“Isaac?”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

Scott was lost.

Truly, absolutely lost.

“Argent contacted me a few days ago,” Derek explained to both Scott and Stiles when they were finally out of Isaac’s supernatural earshot.  Deaton was keeping him busy with a medical check-up. “Isaac was restless without a pack to ground him.  He’d been like that for a while and they thought -- he thought -- he’d eventually get used to it.  Obviously, he couldn’t.  He wasn’t doing well as an omega; his body was fighting against the status.  His wolf resisted to call the other hunters his pack.  When Argent came back, Isaac’s only link to Beacon Hills was gone and he had mental breakdown at least five times a week ever since.”

“Is he okay now?” Scott asked, his voice thick with worry.  Any werewolf nearby could easily sense his racing heartbeat.  It had never gone up like this for quite some time but Scott couldn’t bring himself to care.

Isaac had been a sore subject to Scott.  Chris had offered him home, family, and safety the way the McCalls couldn’t provide, and Scott _knew_ it.  Chris just lost his daughter, Isaac had no one left other than the McCalls, and Melissa was struggling with money.  Taking care of two teenaged werewolves alone would be hard on her.  Nobody could blame the beta to accept Chris’s offer, or at least, Scott had made sure of it, no matter how much it actually hurt.

Losing Allison was hard enough.  Losing Isaac at the same time, though not for the same reason, didn’t help the matter.

 _‘It’s not his fault to leave,’_ was Scott reasoning when asked. _‘He was in distress too when he said goodbye.  I could feel it, and it was bad, you know?  He didn’t want to leave either, but it was the best option we had.’_

Thus no one dared touch the subject again; not until now.

“He’s doing much better after he knew he’d be sent back here,” Derek said. “I haven’t talked to him yet, not that much, but I think he’ll be fine.”

 _Even though Isaac had avoided Scott’s eye contact ever since the reunion_ was left unspoken.  Scott didn’t know what he had done wrong.  Isaac unexpectedly seemed to be nervous around him, although Scott could still sense relieve and sheer happiness from the taller boy.

Scott threw himself at Isaac the first moment he stepped into Scott’s sight.  Isaac instantly melted into his hug and, for a moment, Scott thought things were getting back to normal.  Having Isaac in his arms felt like everything was going to be fine and it felt just _right._  He didn’t remember if he had felt this way before while hugging Isaac.  Perhaps he had, at some point, before Isaac and Allison became a thing.

Had Scott stopped hugging him after that?  Probably.

Isaac flinched away from his embrace after a long while, averting his eyes as he went.  Scott had no idea why the blond was reeking of pain and fear.

“Something’s not right,” Scott muttered grimly. “He looks fine, but something’s not right.”

“Maybe he’s just worried about where to live?  Seems like a big deal, yeah?” Stiles supplied.  Isaac was staying at Derek’s loft for the moment.  The arrangement wasn’t permanent and they would need to find him home soon, as well as a suitable guardian.

“Mom would love to have him back, but I don’t know if our financial status will do,” Scott said before he shook his head in frustration. “I really wish Chris were here.”

“Can’t blame him, though.  Kate’s his only real family left.  He needs to find her.” Stiles turned his head to Derek. “Why can’t you be his guardian again?”

“I can be if he wants to,” Derek answered. “I just don’t think staying at my place will do him any good.”

“Why not?”

“I told you he was restless.  His wolf won’t be satisfied by just sensing his former alpha’s presence from afar.  He’ll get worse, knowing that his alpha is within his grasp but not allowed to be with him.  It’ll slowly eating him up inside and he won’t even realize it happening.”

“But you’re his ex-alpha,” Scott protested, obviously confused. “It makes sense for him to live with you, right?”

Derek stared back at him.

“Really?” the older man asked, voice skeptical.  Scott furrowed his brows at the attitude, though it wasn’t a rare expression on Derek’s face.

“What?”

Derek let out a long-suffering sigh, the one that said, _‘I can’t believe you’ve survived this long considering how stupid you are right now.’_

“It’s you, Scott,” he elaborated. “Isaac’s alpha has always been you.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

_If I’m his alpha, why doesn’t he look at me in the eyes?_

Scott truly wanted an answer to that.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was Stiles who got to Isaac first.  Scott was going mental worrying about him and it was driving Stiles crazy between the process.  Full moon was approaching fast and they all ended up staying the night at Derek's loft, with Scott busy finding a way to ground Liam and Malia.

Liam looked at Isaac funny, almost warily, when they were introduced to each other, but Isaac wasn’t fazed in the slightest.

“I…thought I’m your first beta?”

The inflection on Liam’s last word was raised into a question.  Scott opened his mouth for a few seconds, trying to find the right word.

“Um… Yeah?  I mean, partly?”

Isaac coughed into his fist, trying to stifle a laugh.  Liam raised his brow at him but didn’t comment anything.

“I didn’t bite Isaac,” Scott finally found the conclusion. “So, officially, you’re my first beta, right?  There was a…complication back then between Derek’s pack and mine.  Just…don’t think too much about it.”

“Smooth,” Isaac mumbled under his breath before an awkward silence fell on the room.  Nobody moved, so he sighed and retreated to the staircase.  Scott’s eyes followed him immediately.

“Where are you going?”

“My room,” was an answer. “I mean, yeah, I can join you watching them all chained up and snarling at everything that moves.  But honestly?  Nah, I’ll pass.”

Scott’s face fell but Isaac deliberately turned his head away before he could even finish his sentence.  Stiles could see that the tall blond was still very much the same: cocky, blunt, and sarcastic.  Yet, somehow, something wasn’t right.  They should have known it since the moment Isaac asked to stay at Derek’s place instead of Scott’s himself.

Stiles decided to follow him upstairs.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“That’s it.  What’s wrong with you?”

Stiles confronted him as soon as they reached Isaac's room.  The blond glared at him before he growled out an annoyed, “What?”

“You and Scott.  What happened between you two?”

“Nothing.”

“Yeah, as if I’m gonna believe that.  If I didn’t know better, I’d think you hate Scott by now.”

Isaac’s body immediately went rigid.  His blank expression fell as his wide blue eyes met Stiles’s.

“Does Scott think---”

“In case your wolfie sense couldn’t catch what I just said, I’ll repeat: _If I didn’t know better_ ,” Stiles cut in while gesturing an air quote. “What’s with you?  You’re not the most optimistic guy here but you’re usually not a paranoid type either.  That’s my job, dude.”

Isaac bit his bottom lip, hesitating.  The night was still young, though.  Stiles could be persistent and incredibly patient.  He could wait _all_ night.

“It’s the wolf.” Isaac gave in, eventually. “I can’t control it.”

Stiles started.

“You’re not, uh, gonna rip my head off, right?”

Isaac scowled; probably trying to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

“No, not that way.  It’s just… I don’t know.  My mind just goes blank whenever Scott is around.  I feel like I’m going to turn but nothing happens and my body _aches._  It feels like… like there’s a hole in my chest and it freaks me out.”

“Okay, that’s…new,” Stiles answered carefully. “Have you talked to Deaton yet?”

“He said it was nothing, that it was only normal to feel this way, but it’s _not_ ,” Isaac murmured. “I was out of my mind almost daily before I came here.  I _know_ when it’s about to happen again.  Having a pack calms me down a lot, yes, but then Scott’s scent is everywhere and I just--- I feel like--- like I’m about to lose my mind and it _hurts_.  I don’t know what’s happening to me _._ ”

Stiles didn’t know how to answer that.  He had never seen the other boy look this helpless before; not in front of him.  Stiles decided that a smug look on his face suited him better.  At least then Stiles would know how to handle him.

“But Deaton said you were fine, right?  Maybe it’s just an after effect of… of being too far away for too long or something---”

If looks could kill, Stiles would be dead by now.

“Yeah, because almost having a breakdown means perfectly fine and being with the pack again is supposed to be so fucking painful,” Isaac bit back dryly.  Stiles groaned.

“I really _did_ forget why I never want to have a chat with you in the first place.  Now I remember.”

There was a pause.  Then Isaac laughed, heartedly, genuinely; and yes, _this_ was something Stiles could deal with.  As annoying as it was, savage Isaac was the best Isaac.  His pride was too big to give his weaknesses away for long anyway.

Isaac laughed like he meant it; who was Stiles not to join him?

 

 

* * *

 

 

After a few days, Stiles saw the problem.

Imagining what it’d be like to be Isaac was pretty hard for Stiles, but now was a good time to start thinking about it.  Stiles didn’t like the strained feeling Isaac was having behind his nonchalant façade; Isaac seriously wasn’t good at calling out for help.  The boy didn’t know how to wave the S.O.S. flag properly when he needed to, which was disturbingly sad once you noticed it.

That was the problem.

Isaac didn’t want to leave, Scott could confirm that, but he didn’t protest when Chris asked him about moving to France either.  He didn’t ask for help.

He didn’t ask for _another choice._

“You may be right,” Deaton said when Stiles told him. “Even though he’s agreed to the plan himself, it’s possible that Isaac’s wolf didn’t.  Unlike human, wolves’ decisions are based more on primal instinct than intellectual thoughts.  This means he didn’t become an omega by choice, but he forced himself to be one.  The process of becoming an unwilling omega is painful, both physically and emotionally, so most omegas are often found either mad or dead.  If they’re lucky enough to be in a pack again, they’re likely to have a problem fitting in.”

When they told Scott, the young alpha just looked at them with a frown across his face.

“Is that it?”

“Are you expecting something else?” Deaton asked.

“Yeah, something more specific,” Scott groaned darkly. “He’s still acting weird around me -- just _me_ \-- not anyone in general.  We don’t even talk anymore lately!  I don’t know what to do!”

Deaton had no explanation to offer while Stiles only burrowed his brows, deep in thoughts.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was Stiles who got to Isaac first; it was Liam who led them to realization.

Derek, Kira, and Malia helped filling the boy in of what happened to their previous pack.  Derek said, “Isaac submitted to Scott for the longest time and he still does.  So that made him a part of Scott’s pack without anyone knowing,” which, partly, Liam understood.  He knew why someone, especially a werewolf, was drawn to Scott.  He secretly did too, although he hadn’t mentioned it directly to anyone.

However, he was still a bit skittish having another beta barging into the pack like he’d always belonged here.  His smell was off -- not bad, just off -- and Liam found it kind of disturbing; almost threatening.  He wasn’t good at being threatened.

“I hope he won’t be a trouble,” Liam murmured after Isaac left.  Stiles, the only person left in the locker room since Scott was already left to work, blinked.

“Who?” The senior followed Liam’s eyes to the door and responded with a soft, _‘Oh.’_  He blinked again. “Isaac?  Yeah, he’s kind of a dick and kinda bitchy if you ask me, but he’s not that bad.  To be honest, I actually think you two have something in common.”

“He seems off.” Liam’s face scrunched up as he said, “His scent is off.  His reaction towards Scott, and the other way around, is also off.  I don't like that.”

“What do you mean by _‘off’_?”

“I don’t know.  I’m not good at reading emotions, but he smells a bit like anxiety and… and…” Liam threw his hands around helplessly. “I don’t know how to describe it…empty, maybe?  How can anyone smell _empty_?”

“You ask me?  Me, of all people?”

Liam blinked back; then, “Oh.”

“Yes.  Oh,” Stiles scoffed. “What about Scott?  Does he also smell off?  Weird?  Different?  Funny?  Anything?”

“Yeah, he does.  His scent isn’t as strong, but close,” Liam answered truthfully. “What’s their problem, anyway?”

Stiles shushed him; his brain was certainly working so fast he didn’t have time for an answer.  Liam quirked his eyebrows as the older boy started muttering to himself.

“Anxiety, pain, fear, and now emptiness… It’s like---” He stopped mid-track. “Oh my god.  I think I just figured it out.”

“Uh, what is it?” Liam asked tentatively.

Stiles was still talking to himself, “Of course, they’re off.  Scott’s mentioned how weird you and that tall kid were acting around each other and that you smelled off.  Now he’s doing just the same with Isaac.  Gosh, I can’t believe I missed that!”

“What?  What kid?” Liam was totally confused now. “What are you even talking about?”

This time, Stiles just stared at the younger boy.

“Wow, I’ve never reckoned you to be this blind.  Can obliviousness be infected by a bite?  Because I’m sure Scott just did that to you.”

Liam blinked at him like a lost puppy.  Stiles shook his head, ruffled Liam’s hair, and walked away with an amused grin on his face.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“So you know what’s going on between Scott and Isaac.”

Brett shrugged airily.

“If what you’ve told me is true, then yeah, I think I know.  You said they smelled empty too, right?” Liam nodded as a confirmation.  Brett sniggered at the curious look on the shorter boy’s face before he continued, “There’s only one thing I can think of.”

“Tell me, then.”

“Hurry, aren’t we?” Brett’s smile widened. “Satomi said a case like this wasn’t that rare, but it wasn’t common either.  There’s nothing wrong with your alpha, though, so don’t worry.  It’s just a sign; sometimes it comes as a dream, sometimes as your anchor.  Whatever form it is, it’ll keep you grounded.”

“They don’t look grounded to me,” Liam argued. “What is _it_ , anyway?”

Brett hummed. “What keeps you grounded?”

“Me?” Liam frowned.  He looked into Brett’s eyes and gulped.  Somehow, the blue in his eyes seemed bluer than ever.  Liam glanced away, pondering over the question; then he whispered, “The sun…”

He trailed off and went silent just like that.  Brett smiled.

“ _Three things cannot be long hidden_.” The taller boy chuckled, muttering to himself, “And you’re not even Buddhist.  I guess so.”

“Uh… Can we just get to the point here?  Or do I have to wait until tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow sounds good to me,” Brett deadpanned. “You’re quite dense, you know that?”

Liam crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you trying to make me angry to deflect my question?”

“Kind of.  See, it’s not my place to tell you anything.  Scott’s your alpha; he’ll tell you himself when he finally figures out what it is.” Brett shrugged, a smirk plastered on his face. “We can talk again after that.”

Liam pouted at him, still utterly confused.

Brett just laughed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“C’mon, Derek.  Just tell me it’s possible.  I need to know this, dude.”

Derek sighed as he rubbed his temple.

Stiles scrunched up his nose, making the second attempt. “Okay, I know this is weird and I should ask Doc or something but I just prefer an actual werewolf’s opinion, yeah?  You don’t have to explain me how it works, ‘cause that’s gonna be awkward as hell.  Just nod if my theory is possible.  Or blink twice.  Come _on_.”

Derek didn’t even try to hide an eye-roll; he nodded anyway, which was enough for Stiles to shriek out a victorious, “Yes!” and did an air punch.

He abruptly stopped mid-air.

“Wait.  Have you ever felt that way before?  Empty, I mean.  I’ve never seen you act differently like those two idiots -- or three, if you count Liam -- but are you sure about it?  I’ve done some research but from what I’ve seen from Isaac, it looks painful.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?  I’m only human, dude.  What do you expect me to feel?  I’m a teenager; of course I’ve felt empty.  For your information, I’m feeling pretty empty right now since I’m not with anyone anymore, so---”

“Stiles.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re rambling.”

“Oh, right.  Sorry.” Stiles raised his hands in mock surrender. “Why did you ask me, anyway?  I can’t do what you guys can, right?  I’m… I’m _human_.”

Derek raised his eyebrow at him.

Stiles froze.

“You’re kidding.”

Derek shrugged. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Don’t say anything.”

Derek let out a soft chuckle.  Stiles almost tripped over thin air.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Scott nearly lost his patience the moment Isaac ran away from him.

Well, he didn’t _run_ , to be exact.  He only made himself scarce right after he finished the lunch without waiting for the others.  Scott almost broke his plate in half, trying to restrain himself from running after him.  Stiles glanced between them knowingly, though he kept his mouth shut; Scott was so thankful for that.

He didn’t know how much longer he could bear it -- the pain of letting Isaac go like that.

He didn’t wait for Isaac to come back as a stranger.

The whole pack must be used to Scott’s unsteady heartbeat by now.  Its rhythm had become weirder and weirder ever since that hug -- ever since Isaac pushed him away -- and Scott didn’t know how to touch him anymore.  Isaac always smelled like a hollow soul these days: hurt and broken.  Scott almost choked on his scent alone every time they had a chance to stay within ten-meter radius of each other, which didn’t happen very often outside the classroom, considering Isaac’s attempt to disappear from Scott’s sight.

Missing him was one thing; having him this close but having no rights to touch was another.

Scott couldn’t bear it.  He needed to make things right again between them.  Thus when Isaac missed the pack meeting after school -- _again_ \-- Scott reached his limit.

Without thinking twice, he turned to Stiles.

“You and Derek run the meeting today.  I’ve got something to do.”

Stiles gave him a quick two-finger salute without asking any question.  Then Scott ran.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Isaac was already back at Derek’s loft when Scott finally found him.

The blond started, obviously got lost into his own thoughts he missed Scott’s presence coming from afar.  The alpha approached him fast; he cornered Isaac, pinned the taller boy to the wall, and growled, “That’s it.  We need to talk.”

Isaac looked alarmed for the briefest moment.  He quickly collected himself and gazed back at Scott as if nothing ever happened.

“We have nothing to talk about.”

Scott noticed that, even though they were practically staring at each other, Isaac wasn’t looking directly into his eyes but somewhere between his nose and cheeks.  It was deliberate, how he tried to avoid Scott, even when they were up this close.

Isaac was killing him.

“We have _us_ ,” Scott countered, trying not to be all alpha on the other boy. “I need you to talk to me, alright?  I-- I just miss you.  What have I done wrong?  Is it something I’ve done?  Because if it is, I need to know so I can do it right, okay?”

Isaac turned away, mumbled, “You can’t.”

“Then at least tell me what I did to make you hate me!”

A tense silence filled the air as Isaac winced, his shoulders slumping, fingers fidgeting with the hem of his sleeves.  Scott’s throat went dry within less than a second.  He didn’t need to smell Isaac’s emotion to know what was going on with the beta; he was frightened, the same way he had been with his late father.  Isaac had always been like this after he had a nightmare while staying at the McCall’s house; Scott was there to calm him down himself every goddamn night, for God’s sake.

Scott didn’t know which hurt more: the fact that he couldn’t give Isaac comfort like he used to, or that Isaac was actually scared of _him._

“You hate me,” Scott whispered, voice broken.  Surprisingly, Isaac shook his head.

“I don’t.”

The tone was sincere, almost incredulous, pointing out how stupid the statement was.

“Then what?” Scott asked, getting more and more desperate.  They were standing so close and the smell of Isaac was slowly driving him crazy.  Scott breathed in and hoped the other boy wouldn’t notice how much it was affecting him.  Isaac still smelled like pain and loneliness, but there was also a hint of _mine_ and _safe_ and _home._  Scott would be certainly freaked out if they weren’t having a bigger problem in hand.

Isaac didn’t answer, and Scott had to use every ounce of willpower he had to stop himself from growling out in frustration.  He wanted an answer.  He wanted _Isaac_ back -- willing and trusting and _smiling_ \-- not like this.

Scott tightened his grip on the beta’s shoulders.  Isaac jumped instinctively, eyes flashing gold; instead of threatening, they looked almost as desperate as Scott’s.

Isaac closed his eyes and bared his neck; that was when Scott’s wolf kicked in before he could even think about it.

The next moment, Scott’s fangs were deep into Isaac’s neck.  He had yet to realize the true meaning behind the bite but he couldn’t care less right now.  He wasn’t good at thinking anyway, he just did what he felt right.  The taller boy let out a sharp gasp while his whole body was trembling; with pain, fear, or pleasure, Scott wasn’t quite sure, but it was surely something.

Isaac, now blushing furiously, hissed as Scott slowly receded his fangs, leaving only traces of blood and a bite mark -- _his_ mark -- behind.

“Do--- Do you really need to--- hmph!”

Their faces were too close; all Scott could do was react.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Isaac was dying.

He definitely was, because Scott’s mouth was on his, their tongues were falling into a perfect, effortless rhythm, and the bite on his neck was still on fire.  His entire nervous system was on fire.  His head was spinning.  His heart was pounding.  His wolf was howling and fighting its way out of his control.

He was dying.

Isaac could taste blood in his mouth, fangs out, while claws dug into his own palms, wrists securely pinned to the wall.  His world was shrinking down to the whirlwind of emotions Scott was giving him: fear, desire, want, need, _more---_

The rational part of his brain suddenly screamed: _you can’t do this._

Because everybody left: his mom, his brother, his dad, Erica, Boyd, Derek, Allison…  Waiting for Scott to make the first step away was painful, so he had to leave first.  Then, when he thought he was going to be alright, Chris left him for Beacon Hills and he literally lost his mind.

He realized right then; he couldn’t do this anymore.

He couldn’t survive like this.  The pack prolonged his breathing, yet he understood that he couldn’t get too close to Scott again if he wanted to stay sane.  Watching Scott leave would break him for good.  Because Scott was different.  Because, after all these times, the only person in the world who actually cared for him was…

Isaac’s whole body ached.  His wolf whined in protest at the back of his mind, yearning for more, but he couldn’t do this.

His hands abruptly turned cold as panic rose fast.  Isaac shoved the alpha off of him, panting hard.

He couldn’t do this.

“Don’t,” Isaac said with a thick voice. “We--- We can’t.”

Scott’s alpha-red irises snapped back to his normal brown.  He stepped back as fast as he could, looking frantic.

“Shit.  S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to--- Oh god, I’m sorry.  Did I hurt you?”

“No.  No, I’m fine, just---” Isaac gulped as he covered the burning mark on his neck with his hand.  He slightly flinched at an unexpected, tingling warmth that was spreading from the mark to his fingertips.  Isaac hated it when he couldn’t control his own body; every muscle was trying to move on its own accord, reaching out for Scott, while his mind was trying its best to hold back.

He felt like he was going to lose his mind.  He felt like dying.

“Are you okay?” Scott asked, concerned like he always was.  Isaac’s heart skipped a beat and he seriously thought for a second that he was having a heart attack.

“Why do you care?” Isaac asked back instead, sounding curious rather than accusing.  Scott frowned in surprise.

“Do I need a reason to?”

“Because you care too _much_ , you idiot!”

Isaac snapped; his eyes were still shining pure gold.  Scott gaped at him, taken aback.  Of all answers, he definitely didn’t expect that.

“You--- You don’t want me to care about you?”

Isaac glared at him.

“I _do_!  Of course I want you to, and it hurts, okay?  How long will I have you here with me, hm?  How long will you stay?  What will be left of me, then?  I can’t do this, Scott.  I just can’t.  I--- I lost everyone and everything and I just---   _I can’t lose you._ ”

He wasn’t even aware how close he was to crying now, choking on every word.  He didn’t know he would be this pathetic; so pathetic it reminded him of the time when he went out with Allison -- when they both tried to move on from the same person.  They’d never admitted it out loud, but deep down, they couldn’t deny it.

He’d never been able to move on.

Then Scott’s hands were on his cheeks, holding him still.

“Who said I was going to leave you?” Scott asked quietly. “I’m not the one who left in the first place, remember?  I’m not going anywhere.  What are you afraid of?”

“But they left,” Isaac whispered brokenly. “Everyone left and someday you will.  I can’t wait for you to---”

“I won’t.”

“Don’t make a promise you can’t---”

“Then _stay_ ,” Scott cut in, begging. _“Please…”_

Isaac whimpered like an injured animal.  He tried to hold back tears and failed miserably.  Scott trailed his right hand down to the fresh wound on Isaac’s neck, making the taller boy shudder even more.  Isaac wanted to argue, but Scott’s lips were pressing on his for the second time and the wolf inside him was finally let loose.

He might break for complying, he might die for staying, but he couldn’t think of anywhere else he wanted to be right now.

 _Stay_ …

Scott kissed him until his sobs subsided and gradually turned into a moan.  It surely wasn’t the best kiss the alpha had ever had and Isaac’s pride shattered all over the place, but it was okay.  He knew he could die like this, but that was okay too.

_Stay, stay, stay…_

 

 

* * *

 

 

They ended up cuddling on Isaac’s bed.  Isaac was snuggling into Scott’s arms like a huge puppy while Scott was rubbing a thumb over his mark absentmindedly.  The bleeding stopped a while ago but the mark lingered, just as any other wounds made by an alpha, they assumed.  It was supposed to hurt, yet the only thing Isaac could feel was contentment.  Scott’s touch felt even better than having a pack and Isaac had no clue how he had survived without it this long.

Isaac nuzzled the crook of Scott’s neck where the scent of _safe_ and _home_ were the strongest.  Unconsciously, he scraped his teeth over the tan skin, causing Scott to tense up.

“Don’t do that.”

Isaac froze.

“Sorry,” he mumbled sheepishly.  Scott hurriedly put his arms around the beta’s waist before he could move away.

“No, wait.  I don’t mean---”

“It’s alright.  I know---”

“No, you don’t,” Scott cut him off with a serious tone. “What I mean is that if you continue doing that, I won’t be able to hold back.”

“From what?”

Scott growled and attacked his neck instead of answering, nibbling and sucking at the red mark.  Isaac inhaled sharply as the intense sensation flushed all over his body.

“Oh god,” Isaac moaned, his eyes shut tight. “W-What was that?”

“Does it hurt?”

Isaac, unable to make a coherent answer, only shook his head.  Scott climbed on top of him while pressing his lips over the mark again; once, twice, three times, and Isaac was now writhing in pleasure.  He was already half-shifted when Scott decided to move up to kiss him.  The blond chose that very moment to leap in and bury his fangs into the base of Scott’s neck, matching his own.

Their world went white.

A few seconds or a whole hour passed, nobody knew.  They might be kissing.  They might be sharing the same breath.  They might be falling in love.  Neither of them could grasp on what was happening anymore.

They only reacted.

They stayed like that for God knew how long.  Scott recovered first and found a disheveled Isaac trapped between his body and the mattress, blushing deep red.

“What was that?” Isaac asked again breathlessly.

Scott seemed to be as lost as he was. “I--- I don’t know.”

Isaac glanced at the bite mark on Scott’s neck.  His bright gold eyes were still half-lidded, dazed by waves of emotions he didn’t know existed; those that meant something more than a simple lust and far deeper than a normal desire.  He didn’t think there was any word in English vocabulary that could describe everything he had just experienced.

Then he froze.

“Scott, why aren’t you healing?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“It won’t heal.”

Scott gaped at Derek’s confirmation, speechless.  It was quite late so the rest of the pack didn’t come along; barring Stiles, obviously, as the boy was sitting beside Isaac at the bottom of the stairs, jiggling his feet as he listened to the conversation.

Isaac’s head snapped up. “Why not?”

“It’s a mating bite,” Derek said. “It’s something we’ve adopted from wolves; we mate for life.  When the bond is done, you can’t undo it.  It’s permanent.”

“So… we mated,” Isaac repeated the word incredulously. “That’s… kind of a big problem, yeah?  Why has no one ever mentioned it?”

“Because I wasn’t sure about it either -- not until recently,” the other beta answered. “Mating isn’t that common among werewolves.  I’ve been told about it once or twice when I was very little that the bond will be triggered only after we’ve met our mates.  The person is irreplaceable; if you’ve never met, you won’t mate with anybody else.”

“You could’ve warned us!”

Derek gave the blond werewolf a long look. “Really?  You expect me to notice the signs for you?”

“What signs?” Scott asked before Isaac could counter.

“The scent, the pain, the longing feeling towards your mate -- simply everything that happens to your body out of nowhere.” Derek stopped when he saw a matching, confused looks on the others’ faces. “It’s easier for a born werewolf like me to recognize the signs.  Use your senses.  Concentrate on your instinct when it happens and you’ll understand.”

Isaac stroked the mark slowly, lost in thoughts.  Scott couldn’t help but look at him.  Derek gave them some space and turned his attention to Stiles who was unusually quiet.  Lucky for him, the other two were too shocked by the fact to notice the change.

Stiles had never brought the conversation they had a few days ago up -- nor had Derek -- but both of them knew better than to deny it, even though Stiles were only human.

Stiles’s gaze was fixed on Isaac’s neck; without words, Derek knew exactly what he was thinking about.

When Isaac finally looked up from where he was sitting and beamed at Scott, Stiles turned away, hiding his own smile.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles thought of Liam and wondered how Brett was going to handle him after the truth was out.

It was going to be fun, he was sure of it.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

This time, Isaac stayed.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language and this is non-beta, so sorry for any mistake you see and feel free to correct them. Thanks for reading!


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